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Sergeant
"Any of you scum even think about retreating, I’ll kill you myself!" Advanced (Core) Sergeants are professional warriors who’ve managed to impress either a Captain or a Noble with their ability to command men in battle. They lead small units of Soldiers, Militiamen, Mercenaries and Roadwardens, ensuring that orders are carried out to the letter. Some lead by setting a sterling example, others by terrifying their troops into quick obedience. Those who make their troopers lives a priority tend to be the most popular. The best Sergeants earn the respect of their Soldiers with their own blood and courage. They are often called upon to lead their men into danger and they swiftly become experts at assessing the capabilities of others. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Command, Common Knowledge (any two), Dodge Blow, Gossip, Intimidate, Perception, Ride or Swim, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Speak Language (Tilean) Talents: Menacing or Seasoned Traveller, Street Fighting or Wrestling, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun Trappings: Medium Armour (Full Mail Armour), Shield Career Entries Assassin, Champion, Duellist, Highwayman, Judicial Champion, Kislevite Kossar, Marine, Mercenary, Militiaman, Norse Berserker, Pistolier, Roadwarden, Scout, Shieldbreaker, Soldier, Squire, Targeteer, Veteran, Watchman Career Exits Captain, Duellist, Judicial Champion, Knight Hated and Loved “Sergeant Haug had a voice like granite soaked in rum: ‘Hold to, men, hold to. That’s it, lads. Don’t fire ’til you see the reds of their eyes. Steady now! You’ve faced worse than this, you miserable wretches. Baumer…do I perceive your mother among those green-skinned baboons coming at us? Krebs, steady your gun, lad, you’re not hunting geese. Hold it, hold it…FIRE!’ He bellowed the tenderfoots into shape, and his barbed wit killed the cockiness of us veterans. How we hated him, yet how we loved him. He was the backbone of the unit, bullying us into shape. The renown we won was all thanks to him: our duty to the Emperor never shirked, and we gave as good as we got from the muzzles of our guns. We’d rather take our chances face on against the enemy than endure the full-blown anger of our Old Man.” –Trooper Fuchs of the Altdorf 3rd Handgunner Regiment A Superstitious Breed Sergeants believe that they enjoy a blessed existence. Veterans of a score of battles, they have a knack of emerging unscathed – except for the scars that they proudly exhibit. They consider their longevity a blessing from the gods, and go to peculiar lengths to preserve this favoured status. As he walks, a typical sergeant rattles from the dozens of charms and relics that adorn his uniform, such as relic bones, luck stones, or blessed coins. His magnificently curled moustache, waxed from ear to ear, is not simply an overstated nod to fashion – it is considered highly unlucky to trim his upper lip while on campaign. A superstitious sergeant has a ward or talisman for every ominous occasion. For example, on the eve of a battle taking place during inauspicious occasions such as the Day of Folly, a solar eclipse, or the waxing of Morrsleib, a sergeant may avoid touching anything made of oak (oak being the traditional material for the construction of coffins), refuse to perform any action widdershins (it said that spirits are led to Morr’s kingdom in a counterclockwise direction), or may spend a sleepless night whispering prayers and supplication to each of the gods in the pantheon. After all, it’s always best to prepare for every contingency.